Seed of Doubt
by Lady Karasu
Summary: When turning a mind against its beliefs, one must first have a seed of doubt to work with...


**Title:** Seed of Doubt  
><strong>Rating:<strong> Maybe PG, but a dark nightmare-inducing-in-small-children sort of PG  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 6,342  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Set just after Thriller Bark. Uh, and this is kinda dark.  
><strong>Notes:<strong> I'll put these at the end, because some are kinda spoilery. (Also, they're more easily skipped, there, and no one really needs to hear me prattle on... like I'm doing now; Muaha! Gotcha!)  
><em><strong>Lyric Wheel Submission<strong>_  
><strong>Assigned Song Artist and Title:<strong> Linkin Park: Papercut  
><strong>PairingCharacters:** Ensemble: Mugiwara Pirates, Perona, Usopp primary**  
>*Note: <strong> Written well before we knew what happened to Perona, so... that portion is not canon compliant, please take with a grain of salt.  
>Originally Posted: 715/08

oOoOo

It started slowly at first - and really, who would notice, given Usopp's normal disposition? Everyone else had long recovered from the effects of Perona's ghosts, and for all they knew, Usopp had been immune to begin with.

Little did anyone know- even the Ghost Princess herself - what long term exposure to one of her ghosts would do; she had never had cause to find out, when one touch had her prey quivering at her feet, wishing for death (and she was more than pleased to oblige)... but after devastating defeat at the hands of a perfectly normal, _uncute_ man, she was damn well going to find out.

It had taken her a little time to come back to herself; everything had gone black after that behemoth touched her, but she woke sometime later, in the ruins of the castle - confused and frightened, but alive. She could still hear the sounds of fighting, but her own people seemed to be down, by then, as well as most of the pirate crew.

After the dust had finally settled, and her prey stood among the victors, she vowed nothing would stand between her and revenge. She had clung to the shadows, those last few days- missing the boat her own crew escaped on, remaining behind to plot. She couldn't leave things lay this way; she was the Ghost Princess, no one had ever stood a chance against her- when a single touch of her power left the strongest men quavering - sapping all of their confidence, leaving only fear - who could possibly stand against her?

She had watched as the pirates healed their wounded, celebrating their victory, and she planned- wracking her brain for an appropriate end to the long nosed coward. She had hoped to catch him away from the group - and the enticing thoughts of how she could end him slowly right under his their noses played through her mind with vicious pleasure - but he never seemed to leave the side of that wounded green-haired man unless bodily dragged out by one of his fellows. In the end, time running short before they would be out of her reach, she could only experiment and hope something she'd never needed to try would work. If she could concentrate, form a ghost that would last until she called it back, however distant- then maybe she could wear him down; no man could live entirely without hope.

These last days, she had watched him closely; in between the bouts of terror - the negative pall that had saved him from her attacks - were moments of joy and revelry. He believed himself safe with his companions, relaxing into their company, and comforted by their presence. But what if he couldn't relax? What if the only thing he was allowed was fear? She sent her special ghost into him as they busied themselves with their own sendoff. She would chip away at that confidence - that trust - and see what remained of her 'formidable foe'.

Plan set in motion and ship leaving their port, she went off to find a quite place to hole up and concentrate; the span of time ahead of her until she could release that last ghost would be as a dream, and she hoped it would be a bloody one.

He had seemed to be immune to her powers, but the obvious symptoms are the ones that save lives; the subtle ones are far more insidious, masking the problem until it's too late.

Smiling, she closed her eyes and _focused_.

oOoOo

"Usopp!"

The sharpshooter jumped at the bellow, and he realized that Nami must have called him more than once, to elicit that tone from her. Shaking himself out of his reverie, he leaned out of the nearest window in the lookout and answered her call.

"You must be slacking up there if you didn't hear me the first five times," she huffed, then relented, and added, "Dinner's almost ready."

In truth, he had been concentrating _too much_, if there was such a thing- focused on the horizon and any possible enemies that might try to sneak up on them. He wasn't sure why, but he had felt like there was something wrong since they'd left Thriller Bark; like the other shoe was still waiting to drop. He couldn't relax, couldn't shrug off this nagging feeling of _wrongness_- his sense of danger constantly peaked, with no apparent source. It felt like he was missing something obvious, and very dangerous, and that just made it worse.

He shook himself once more when he realized he had zoned out again, just catching Nami say, "…Chopper said he'd take over for you after he gets a quick bite, if you promise to bring him up some dessert."

She paused a moment to peer up at him, appearing to debate on continuing, then added, "He's worried about you."

The tone she used implied that he wasn't the only one, but he ignored that for the moment, and tried to pull a smile, waving it off. "I'm fine! Really- I've just been writing out the adventures of Captain Usopp, and it's very distracting! Can you imagine how much needs to be saved for future generations to enjoy?" He struck a pose, grinning broadly, "It would be a _crime_ not to share these tales with the rest of the world, don't you think?"

She pursed her lips at his performance, but didn't answer, and even he had to admit it was not as spirited as it normally would have been. Maybe he did need to relax, more. He grinned sheepishly, then, rubbing the back of his neck, and she shook her head in a sort of affectionate exasperation, adding, "I'll see you at dinner", before heading back from where she'd come.

oOoOo

He tried harder to relax those next few days, to distract himself from the pending sense of doom he'd had since leaving that creepy ship. He was always keyed up after an 'adventure' (as Luffy would name it) like that, but this was getting ridiculous; it was long past the point where he usually calmed down, and started worrying about the _next_calamity to befall them. Or him. Usually him.

Now, the old fallbacks seemed to do nothing for him- neither fishing, nor tinkering with his projects seemed to work, and at least twice during 'story time' he caught himself lost in his thoughts, completely loosing the thread of tale he'd been spinning. He didn't think they noticed, after catching himself so quickly and changing the direction of the story to be even more impressive, but the failing left him rattled.

After that he tried to spend more time horsing around with Chopper and Luffy than anything else, which at the very least was engrossing, but could only occupy so much of his racing mind.

Even the quiet time he had started spending with Zoro (the swordsman largely napped through this, but he seemed to appreciate the company, nonetheless) after Enies Lobby had become painful to him- the stillness itself making him edgy. At the first hint of a snore he would remove himself from the situation, hoping the green-haired man would think he'd slept longer than he had when he woke alone.

To cover his tracks, he frantically spent his evenings drawing sketches he could show the man later, proving he'd been there all along, as usual…

oOoOo

The nightmares were getting worse. It's not like he didn't have his fair share, before - with the things they faced in real life, and his overactive imagination, his subconscious mind could be a vicious place - but they were usually interspersed with at least an equal sprinkling of victorious Sogeking-saves-the-day and 'Captain Usopp Adventure' ones; the basis of some of his best stories, in fact. He hadn't saved a grateful Zoro from some unmentionable evil in ages, though, and even the tap-dancing squid was conspicuously absent from his dreamscape, lately (he had no idea how that one had developed, but it had become a comforting oddity over the years…)

He was anxious all the time, now, jumping at shadows; even the creaking of Thousand Sunny's boards put him on edge- expecting some cataclysm to rip them apart at any moment, drowning them all.

He nearly shot poor Chopper the other day, when Tony tried to rouse him from a particularly nasty (and vocal) dream. He didn't think he'd ever forget the wounded look on the diminutive reindeer's face, and it left him feeling like he'd broken some forbidden taboo.

He knew this wasn't right- this wasn't how he should feel, or act, but the constant apprehension was beginning to take a noticeable toll on him. He fervently wished things would get back to normal, but was slowly starting to forget what 'normal' felt like.

oOoOo

He could hear whispering whenever he got close to an occupied room, but everyone went silent the moment he entered- or worse, switched to another topic, obvious in the insignificance of its subject. He didn't know what they were trying to hide, but did they think they could fool him with that trick? Liars could always tell when someone else was acting… it was a skill that came with being able to gauge your audience for the story you were trying to spin. An amateur attempt was painfully obvious to him, a master craftsman of tall tales.

At first he tried to pull them into a real conversation when it happened; he really didn't care about what, he just wanted the awkward feeling to go away, but the stilted results just made him more uncomfortable. Eventually he stopped trying- quietly listening with half an ear as they talked about the weather, or how the fishing had gone, or what kind of island they might come across next with false excitement. It sounded so forced, and it was painful to listen to.

He started spending more time alone when he could, to avoid it. He thrived when interacting with other people, but this was just too fake, like he was the only real person there, anyway.

If he was going to be alone, he'd much rather be by himself.

oOoOo

They were watching him; he was certain of it, now. Any time they thought he wasn't looking, one of them would be staring at him with that pensive look. Were they planning something behind his back? Things had gotten tenser since he'd noticed their whispered conversations; he hadn't thought anything of it at the time, but the more he kept to himself, the more furtive they behaved…

The more he wracked his brain, the more things made sense. He was only dead weight to them; just a normal person among monsters- how they must scorn him. In retrospect, he was embarrassed that he'd deluded himself into thinking his meager skills would be worth something to them. He couldn't kick boulders in half, or slice a building apart with one stroke, or even pummel a larger opponent with sheer tenacity; he wasn't particularly strong, or skilled, or even very smart when compared to some aboard this ship.

He was expendable.

He was expendable, and they were bleeding gold at every port- restocking and making repairs as needed; supplies to feed that crew were expensive, and massive, and he was no longer a useful part of it- may never have been. He was worthless, and they had to be tired of carrying him by now.

At best, they could cast him off somewhere; dropped mercilessly into the oceans of the grandline to swim or die, or be stranded on some remote island, left to fend for himself in god only knew what conditions…

…or… or, they could be planning to turn him in for the bounty.

He could feel his heart racing when he finally understood. It made perfect sense; the supplies to keep him alive were worth more than he was as a member of this crew, and Nami always hated being cheated- she would want to be compensated in events like this… they could turn him in somehow- one of them wearing a disguise, or working through an outside agent- all they would need was Sogeking's things to prove who he was, and that would be a cool 30,000,000 beli in their coffers, replacing what he'd cost them all this time…

He had to escape before the next island; it was his only chance to survive – the marines had no love for him after he burned that flag- he couldn't imagine them being satisfied with just an execution; there would be agony ahead of him if he were turned in, stretching on however long they would decide to exact revenge.

He had to escape, and he had to do it, soon.

oOoOo

Zoro sat at the dinner table, asking without preamble, "So, do you believe me, now?"

The words were quiet, and weighted, and in any other person would have smacked of 'I told you so…' but somehow in this light, only underscored the severity of the situation. The others present looked uneasy, but Sanji was the first to give his grudging assent, pulling a face (it was always painful to agree with the other man), and conceding, "It looks like the Marimo has a point", to the room at large. Under his breath he added, _"Mark the day…"_

"Things have indeed progressed disturbingly…" Robin agreed solemnly, breaking the silent glaring match that had sprung up between the cook and swordsman. "He hasn't taken meals with anyone else in the last week, and I barely see him leave his workroom any more…"

Nami frowned in thought, musing, "But nothing's happened to set him off; we've been in quiet waters for weeks- the most exciting thing to happen recently was when Luffy dived after the catch that got off his hook…"

"But it looked so TASTY…!"

Zoro growled faintly, cutting off the coming outburst, and reasserted his original contention, "He's been like this for weeks; it started right after we left that damn ship."

Minds were visibly cast back over recent events; all trying to recall when the sharpshooter had started acting differently. When no other comments seemed forthcoming, the swordsman clarified his thoughts. "I didn't think much of it at first either; this is Ussop- but he's been jumpy—_jumpier_- since then. He started keeping to himself a week or two after." He gestured at the others, "He's a social person- can't go without contact for too long, but look, has he spent time with any of you in the last few weeks?" When no one argued, he continued, "The first thing to go were his drawing sessions; he didn't think I noticed, but I know when he leaves. Tried showing me his work any time I mentioned it, but that's not his normal style, and I know he didn't have time to finish anything while on deck – he's not that quick. After that, he cut things out one by one in the order of what he thought would be noticed, least."

He let that uneasy thought marinate among his companions, before giving voice to what he'd been thinking for some time. "Something happened to Usopp on that ship- I don't know what, but there's something wrong with him, and it's only getting worse."

Chopper had just started to open his mouth when the door creaked open, admitting a somewhat bedraggled marksman. Without missing a beat, the cook interjected, "…well if you don't catch it, how the hell do you expect me to cook it?", as if he'd been speaking all along.

Several sets of eyes slid toward the furtive addition to the room, and there was a brief pause in the conversation, before Sanji shooed them all out with a call of, "Stop pestering me until you bring me ingredients…" As the door closed, the last of the evacuees could hear, "No, not you Usopp, what did you want? You missed lunch again, too, but I hid some leftovers from Luffy for you…"

oOoOo

They were definitely planning something, he was certain. It was a good thing he started preparing when he did; he could leave tonight if the last of the improvements took. He'd need protection out there, but according to his schematics, there was no reason the modified cannon shouldn't work, despite its diminutive size. He had added dials to it the way that he'd modified his Kabuto, extending its reach and power, and with the right dampening materials between the deck and the attaching arms, he should barely feel the kickback.

His hands shook as he finished his work; they wouldn't get him. He could outsmart all of them- no way he'd go down like this. His plan would work; they had no idea he'd prepared a counter-strategy - how could they? He never tipped his hat, so the element of surprise would be on his side.

The thought of setting up a distraction – explosions, mostly – on the ship before he departed had occurred to him, but he discarded it early on in his planning. He had a better chance of getting away in secret; they didn't realize he knew what they were planning- if anything happened on the ship it would only draw attention to him. He could damage the rudder so they couldn't follow him, but he ran the risk of being noticed when the Sunny veered off course. In the end, he decided on pure stealth; all he needed were a few hours head-start, and the unpredictable currents of the grand-line would have him so far away from the ship that they'd never find him.

_Never…_

oOoOo

Zoro had been keeping an eye on Usopp since he'd started acting strangely, so he knew the other man was down below when the soldier dock system engaged, releasing Mini-Merry from dock. The only person 'officially' on deck at this time of night was Brooke, who currently occupied the lookout- a fact that the sharpshooter was likely aware of, and that thought made the situation all the more suspicious. He knew the other man had been having trouble sleeping, and had been working on some project or another until well into the night, but somehow the swordsman didn't think this was just an insomnia-induced outing. The large duffle-shaped bulge he spied on the ship was a good indicator of that.

Nodding to himself, he went to inform Brooke of the current situation; they would have to keep an eye on him for now, in case it really was just a late-night distraction, but he had a feeling it wasn't. He quietly moved on to rouse the rest of the crew, after another pair of eyes had taken over for him. They would likely have to retrieve their sharpshooter before long.

oOoOo

Usopp was nearly exultant; he'd done it! All of his planning and working had finally paid off. It had taken hours on the water, and his nerves left him shaking the entire time, but the Thousand Sunny was just the barest speck on the horizon, now. The faint light of pre-dawn was slowly washing over the ocean, but he had left in time to miss full-dawn; they would never even know he'd gone until it was too late. He was nearly safe! He didn't know how long he would be wandering in open ocean, but he had packed as many supplies as the small craft could safely hold, and he was away from the biggest danger to his life, now. He was nearly free…

oOoOo

"Captain."

An unnaturally quiet Luffy looked to his first. "He's not just fooling around, is he." It wasn't a question.

"I think it's time we go after him."

Face blank, the other man simply nodded.

oOoOo

The sharpshooter shook as he put down the binoculars. It wasn't just a trick of the light- full dawn had already broken, and he couldn't fool himself any more. He wasn't just imagining things, the ship really was closer; they had turned to follow him.

No. No no no nononononono! He was almost free! He had almost made it!

For a moment he stood there, helpless desolation flooding over him; there was nothing to do, they'd catch him, and that'd be it for him; he'd be dead.

If only he could go faster, if only…. He… he had to go faster, that was all. Frantic again, he dug through his meager belongings; there had to be something- something here that would help him escape.

oOoOo

"What's he doing?"

Franky winced. "He already threw all the fuel in, and the boiler couldn't handle it; he's lucky it didn't explode in his face, but it's certainly not running, anymore. Now he's… paddling. I don't know what' he's using, but they aren't paddles."

"Why the hell is he doing this?" demanded Sanji, frustration and concern warring in his voice.

The cyborg shrugged. "We'll be close enough to ask him, soon; he's not moving very fast, now."

oOoOo

They were getting closer… closer closer closer… He was paddling as hard as he could, but the small craft didn't seem to go anywhere; the garish lion's head just kept coming, coming to take him. Prey. Hunting him…

He could hear them, now, and he tried to pull the makeshift oars faster, but he was so tired, and the ocean kept trying to suck him back. They tried to cajole him, talk him into coming back; he didn't believe them- they could probably get a higher bounty off him if they brought him in in good condition, is all. He had to get a way. Had to get away…

Away… away…

"JUST GO AWAY!", he began to scream, suddenly, voice cracking in his frantic volume, "GO AWAY- LEAVE ME ALONE!"

He caught a flicker of movement, and when rubber arms flew towards him, he knew it was time; he was in range now, in danger; he flew forward, falling upon his cannon, his last resort.

oOoOo

The massive fireball startled Luffy, but he pulled back in time, only getting singed. They all looked at each other uneasily – a line had been crossed that seemed unbelievable - but the pause was short lived; the next ammunition to fly at them obviously meant to maim, or kill. The errant sharpshooter had put together some sort of bladed bundle- sharp, thin, dagger-like spikes flying out in one mass, and breaking off in flight to cover a wider target. There were a few injuries from the second shot, but none serious… yet.

They called to him again, trying to end this, but he only screamed to be left alone, and started loading the small cannon again.

Finally, seeing no other way to safely take the sharpshooter without injury to him, or themselves, Robin initiated the first stage of her 'clutch'. She only intended it to hold him- and called out as much - but a moment after their frightened nakama found himself restrained, he panicked more severely than she'd ever seen from him before. At the first touch, he froze, and she could feel his reedy breathing quicken into shallow pants, pulse racing as his heart ran wild. A moment later, and he was thrashing in her grip, taxing her joints, and very nearly injuring himself in the process.

She strained hard to hold him for a few long moments – hoping to last until they reached him, but her grip loosened, ache and strain getting to her, and she feared he would topple clean out of the boat with them still too far to help. Making a pained decision, two more arms blossomed on his body, rising to grip him just right about the neck- inhibiting the blood flow to his brain. He thrashed harder at first- panic clear in every frantic movement, but eventually he began to still – trying to fight it until the end – and slid, boneless, to the bottom of his small craft.

When she released her hold on her powers, she slumped to the deck herself, refusing to meet anyone's eyes, asking only that they retrieve him quickly. There were no arguments.

oOoOo

When Usopp had been retrieved, Chopper quickly checked his vitals, before tending to the worst of the gouges he had inflicted. It didn't take too long- the crew was used to that sort of barrage, though not from friendly quarters- so most of the wounds were little more than surface scratches, but some were deeper, and needed to be treated properly, else infection could set in. One blade had lodged itself in Brooke's chest cavity (the reindeer had never been happier the man was already dead), but he insisted it could wait until later, since it was obviously not life threatening.

Finally freed from the immediate concerns of his profession, the crew was released to put things back in order, and the doctor moved on to take care of their wayward nakama.

oOoOo

Hours had passed since the last of the crew had left deck- immediate problems handled, for now. By silent accord, everyone was waiting for Choppers return in the galley- saving him the time of calling anyone back to share his findings. When he finally entered, looking strained, the others all focused on him, but waited until he'd taken a seat.

"He's sedated, now", he offered, before anyone could ask. "I had to put him back under when he came to and started fighting me. Physically, there's nothing wrong with him, I checked him over for injuries and any poisons that could have set him off, but there was nothing wrong with his system…"

He swallowed thickly, and the cook offered, ruefully, "Why doesn't that pause fill me with hope?"

"His vitals weren't right for his normal baseline, and there was nothing in his system to explain the elevated heart rate or breathing… so I used Brain Point, just in case I was missing something obvious. There's… I wouldn't have noticed it, if I wasn't focusing so hard, but when I concentrated, I could just barely see it when a piece phased through his skin..."

He swallowed hard, trying to order his thoughts, explain what he'd seen when the wriggling mass of negativity moved just a little too far one way to stay fully within the bounds of skin... "...those Ghost things, from Thriller Bark? There's one _in_him; just sitting there, in his chest…" He swallowed again - greatly unsettled - before continuing tentatively.

"I… I was going to wake him up, but –"

Zoro cut him off firmly, "You can't say anything about it around him."

"But…" The doctor looked confused, "we have to tell him what's happening to him- it'll all make sense, then, right? There's only one; it can't get all of us, can it?"

Sanji took pity on him, gently explaining. "That's not the problem; those things can explode. It's sitting in his chest, isn't it…?"

The doctor paled, jaw going slack. "I… we can't…" His mouth abruptly snapped shut again, and he suddenly looked very small. "But what can we do?"

The room was quiet for several long moments. Finally, Zoro spoke. "He already thinks we're trying to kill him, right? We'll use it." His voice was grave, but he relentlessly went on, "This is probably about revenge, and the way things are going, it's all focused on Usopp. It, or she, or whatever won't take much notice if he gets more freaked out, and if we can get him into the ocean water it might force the thing out. Let him think we're just tossing him over, and it'll never notice. Probably wants him dead in the end, anyway."

Chopper looked horrified, but Robin nodded, musing slowly, "If it's actually part of her - rather than an effect - the salt-water should force it out, or 'kill it'; in either case, being a devils fruit user, any part of her that touches ocean should lose its power, and it only has form because of hers."

There were uneasy glances all around, but in the end, no other ideas were forthcoming, and they agreed to take the only shot they had to save their friend.

oOoOo

Morning came, and they were reluctantly preparing to draw straws on who would actually have to do the deed. When the Captain looked ready to assume the responsibility, brushing aside the morbid contest, however, Zoro stood instead.

"Was my idea. Just stay on deck and look official, I'll get him."

He had an idea what buttons to press with the other man, anyway. They couldn't risk any mistakes at this point- the consequences were all too clear.

When he finally reached the storeroom the other man had been detained in, Usopp looked like nothing more than a wild thing- eyes wide and feral. He had heard him skittering around inside until the door had been opened, when he flung himself back into the farthest corner to escape him.

Chopper had done the best he could to safely restrain the other man; arms strapped snugly to his sides - if nothing else, to keep him from harming himself - but it looked like he'd still managed to scratch himself all up in his attempt to escape the makeshift prison.

This was going to be harder than he'd thought.

oOoOo

When the door creaked open, he moved back as far as he could- putting distance between himself and the enemy. He knew he couldn't get away, but if he could just buy some time, maybe… maybe he could think of a way out.

When he saw who it was, he quailed further. No chance to fight- he had to think hard; what could he do? That beast of a man didn't have any sympathy, and he was stronger than ten men put together- ruthless as the worst killers.

He watched revulsion pass through the other man's eyes, and then the swordsman shook it off, focusing on what he'd come to do. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of what that might be…

"You've caused us more trouble than you're worth- that last trick of yours caused some hefty injuries, and Captain agrees that you should be punished for it."

A vicious pleasure sparked inside at the thought that he'd at least gotten a few of them first, but he shrunk again at the mention of retribution.

"I was protecting myself…" he whined piteously, "It's not fair- _let me go_, JUST LET ME GO!" His pitch and frenzied tone rose as the other man got closer, until he was completely inarticulate- doing no more than hissing and spitting; legs kicking uselessly as the swordsman bodily lifted him to carry out of the room.

oOoOo

When the 'accused' was brought onto deck, the crew had arranged themselves into a loose group to hold court. Luffy stood at the head, on a raised platform, accepting the duty of his position. When the swordsman stopped with his charge, the Captain began.

"Usopp, we are here to decide what punishment you deserve not only for theft and desertion, but for attacking your own crewmates unprovoked- an unforgivable crime among men of the sea."

A shutter went through the restrained man, and he exploded in reply, sputtering and seething his response.

"You're all monsters! I can't compete with any of you, you're unnatural- how can you exist? You shouldn't _BE! _" He struggled harder, spitting out, "I had to strike first, I had to protect myself before you turned on me, too!"

Luffy closed his eyes for a moment, obviously pained, but resumed his stance and continued as if nothing had happened.

"You caused a lot of damage yesterday. I think you should hear the charges before we do anything with you."

His eyes slid towards Tony.

"Chopper?"

The doctor gulped, obviously not wanting to participate, but forced the words out in his most professionally clinical voice. "There were 7 deep lacerations; stitches required on 4, the others only requiring cleaning and binding, but activity will have to be limited until they heal; 2 gouges, where the spikes had to be physically removed, and the wound dealt with- but no organs were ruptured; and the shards of one spike still need to be removed from Brooke. It's delicate work, so I'll handle that when we're done here…"

He trailed off in something that sounded suspiciously like a whimper, but was obviously grateful when the focus shifted from him afterward.

The Captain moved on, gesturing to the shipwright. "Franky?"

"The ship suffered some cosmetic damage, but it's nothing I can't fix. Will probably take me a few days to track it all, though. Mini-Merry will take longer to repair; there is serious structural damage, and the boiler's shot. We're low on parts, so it'll probably be down for at least a few weeks- depends on the next port."

"Anyone else have anything to add?" Luffy looked over the others, but no one offered anything further. "Are there any suggestions on how to handle his punishment?"

Usopp had gone completely still as Luffy's eyes moved over his crew once more, to settle on the swordsman who held him, still. Zoro was the only one to meet his gaze, and saved his Captain the painful duty of making the suggestion, himself.

In a clear, assertive voice, he said, "We should throw him overboard."

There were a few gasps when the words were actually said, but they were ignored as the sharpshooter started struggling again, and the Captain nodded once, acquiescing. "Do it then."

"Aye Captain."

The few paces to the rail had never felt so long, but he bore them, as was his duty, bearing the burden and the struggling mass of limbs at once. At the edge, he couldn't help but make one request, though; having no desire to see the scene play out the way it was.

Quietly, he asked, "At least be brave at the end."

His burden jerked still at the words, and looked at him squarely, giving the first sign of a real person behind those eyes, since he had been retrieved. "Go to hell", he replied just as quietly, but made no more protests after that, allowing himself to be heaved up without further fight, and after a pause, cast overboard.

For the first few moments he fought savagely against the tide, sputtering and splashing, and unknowingly tearing his crew apart- but after a time he shook himself and stilled, letting himself sink below the waves with a parting, betrayed look above.

The surrender was unexpected, and those above scrambled to catch sight of him beneath the waters.

"Shit- CHOPPER!"

"Brain point!"

There was a long uneasy pause, punctuated with an agitated, "Hurry up, Chopper!"

All visible signs of Usopp were gone at the surface, the barest hint of a shadow, now, visible below, and fading fast.

_"Chopper!" _

"It's gone!"

As the words left his mouth, Sanji was airborne, slipping beneath the waves with barely a splash. A few tense moments passed with no activity on the surface, but then a blonde head broke through the cresting waves, hoisting up a slack, but familiar face.

The flurry of activity that followed was stunning; both men retrieved from the water in a heartbeat, and checked out by the Doctor as soon as they hit deck. Usopp had stopped breathing, but Chopper managed to resuscitate him after only a few heart-stopping moments. To all appearances, his health was (moderately) back to normal, but that he remained unconscious.

A tentative sign of relief went through them all, but everyone knew the struggle was not yet over; repairing the damage done would be worse. For now, they were happy to have everyone alive and safe; the details could be dealt with, later.

oOoOo

Dinner time came and went, but no one seemed to have any appetite. The marksman had still not woken, and they spent the better part of the day discussing- in subdued snatches, here and there- what to do with their unconscious friend. Zoro decided he would be the one to explain things to Usopp, first, taking a post at his bedside after announcing his intentions. He didn't really ask what anyone else thought, but no one challenged his right to it. Were they honest with themselves, most would admit they were glad they didn't have to, themselves.

The first time he woke up, after everything, was the worst. There was no fight left in him, just the wash of abject fear left over from the perceptions that thing forced on him. When the swordsman reached to check his pulse like Chopper had shown him, what had once been their sharpshooter pressed back as far as he could into the bed; eyes snapping shut, and breath coming in short, frenetic gasps.

Zoro leaned back, aborting the gesture, and waiting for the other man to relax again. When he heard the breathing even out, he spoke slowly, and firmly.

"This is going to take a long time, but I'm here, and I won't abandon you. None of us will; if we intended to, we'd have just let you go." Then he explained what happened. Everything that happened- as he knew they would have to more than once, before this was finished, and they could reclaim their Nakama.

They _would_get him back. It would just take time to heal the lingering wounds from insecurities he never should have had, to start. The issues she exploited had a basis in his psyche already, or they wouldn't have done the damage they had- the difference between all of their quick recovery, and his slow, consuming disease; the attack had been artfully done, but with the right reinforcement, they could bring him back.

He would sit with Usopp through the first of it, but the others would soon take their turns, and links could be rewoven… the fissures between them would heal, eventually.

He wouldn't let it be otherwise.

oOoOo

Notes: Amusingly, I read the lyrics once before writing, and only in retrospect am realizing how well some aspects fit in that I hadn't even noticed when writing.

Anyway- I wonder if I should be concerned that the easiest thing to write in this whole mess was the decent into insanity. The crew portions were really tough on me this time around- and while I fleshed them out after the first go, some parts still feel very awkward to me. C&C always welcome.

_In a valiant attempt to get Zoro into the holiday spirit (especially the part that involves giving presents to brave warriors of the sea), Usopp enlists his friends to play the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Zoro is not amused._


End file.
